In Obama's Inner Circle, Debate Over Memos' Release Was Intense  —  Some Feared That a Partisan Outcry Could Obstruct Larger Agenda  —  As President Obama met with top advisers on the evening of April 15, he faced one of the sharpest policy divides of his young administration.

Gonzales Said to Have Intervened on Wiretap  —  WASHINGTON — The director of the Central Intelligence Agency concluded in late 2005 that a conversation picked up on a government wiretap was serious enough to require notifying Congressional leaders that Representative Jane Harman …

A Limited Love of Liberty  —  A former ACLU board member says that the organization has lost its way.  —  When the American Civil Liberties Union comes under attack, the salvos are often launched from the right.  The ACLU, after all, is as enthusiastic about protecting the interests of feminists …

Reclaiming America's Soul  —  “Nothing will be gained by spending our time and energy laying blame for the past.”  So declared President Obama, after his commendable decision to release the legal memos that his predecessor used to justify torture.  Some people in the political and media establishments have echoed his position.

Chris Matthews changes book title Jon Stewart mocked  —  Could the interview Chris Matthews called “the worst he's ever had” have something to do with his decision to change the title of his most recent book before its paperback edition is released?  —  In 2007, the “Hardball” host went on …

News Bulletin  —  A Corner exclusive: How many times have you read and heard in the mainstream media that terrorists were waterboarded more than 180 times?  It turns out that's not true.  What is?  According to two sources, both of them very well-informed and reliable (but preferring to remain anonymous) …

Republicans Threaten To Become Bigger A**holes  —  If Democrats provide cheaper and more accessible health care to Americans, Republicans have promised to publicly turn themselves into the biggest partisan a**holes of the last forty years.  —  Seriously.  That is the actual political …

Obama May Sweep Aside TV Schedule  —  President Obama might take an additional $9 million to $10 million out of the purse of the broadcast TV industry when he stages another of his news conferences next week to talk about his efforts to bail out the banking and automotive industries.

Bill Daley decides against Senate bid, being ambassador to China  —  Seeking seat would've pitted mayor's brother against Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias  —  Scoopsville . . .  Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley is opting off a political fast track.  —  •

Nuremberg and American Exceptionalism  —  The egregious Chris Matthews is a real “tough guy” in interviewing “guests” until they begin to compare American actions to those of various unclean regimes in recent history.  His childlike belief in the uniqueness of the United States and its status as the …

Defense Department to Release Photos Showing Detainee Treatment in Iraq, Afghanistan  —  The Department of Defense announced late Thursday that at least 44 photos depicting treatment of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan will be released.  —  FOXNews.com  —  The Department of Defense …

Sources say Tedisco concession likely  —  A finish line could be in sight in the race for the 20th Congressional District.  With the numbers not looking good for Republican Jim Tedisco, sources tell Capital News 9 that Tedisco could concede to Democrat Scott Murphy as soon as Friday afternoon.

U.S. Forced Bank Board To Carry Out Merrill Deal  —  In Inquiry Into Merger, Cuomo Details Pressure On Bank of America  —  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and former Treasury secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. threatened to remove the management and board of Bank of America if it backed …

Obama DOJ Seeks to Restrict Defendant's Right to Lawyer During Questioning  —  More true colors?  —  The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to overrule Michigan v. Jackson, the 1986 Supreme Court decision that held that if police may not interrogate a defendant after the right …

Past, President and Future  —  Obama was right to resist reopening the torture debate.  —  What makes it hard at the moment to write sympathetically of Barack Obama is the loud chorus of approbation arising from his supporters in journalism as they mark the hundred days.

Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate  —  For more than a decade the Global Climate Coalition, a group representing industries with profits tied to fossil fuels, led an aggressive lobbying and public relations campaign against the idea that emissions of heat-trapping gases could lead to global warming.

Two Suicide Bombers Kill at Least 40 in Baghdad  —  BAGHDAD — Twin suicide bombers struck outside the gates of the holiest Shiite site in Baghdad on Friday, killing at least 60 people and wounding scores more, according to preliminary reports from police officials.

Edgy Banks Start to Get Word Today on Stress Tests  —  Wall Street is stressed out about stress tests.  —  After a two-month wait, the nation's 19 largest banks will start learning on Friday how they fared in important federal examinations — and which among them will need another bailout from the government or private investors.

Rattner: Master Investor or Master Spinner?  —  From the New York Times' non-probing April 5 story on Steven Rattner's ascension to auto czarito: … Not so fast says author William D.Cohan, who claims to be an investor in Quadrangle's first fund.  Writing in Fortune, Cohan notes …

Government Watchdogs Warn of Lack of Oversight For Trillions in President's New Spending Programs  —  The Government Accountability Office today issued a report on the $787 billion stimulus bill called “RECOVERY ACT: As Initial Implementation Unfolds in States and Localities, Continued Attention to Accountability Issues Is Essential.”